dc.description.abstract | The armed conflict in Ukraine in 2022 and subsequent worsening
of relations between Western countries, including the EU and its Member
States, and the Russian Federation, have deeply shaken the existing EU
energy law and policy foundations. During the past decades, the EU
attempted to develop a comprehensive energy policy based on three
pillars – competitiveness and internal market principles, security of
supply, sustainability and environmental protection. Starting in the 1990s,
liberalization efforts dominated the electricity and natural gas markets.
It did not take long for energy security and environmental protection
to gain attention. Enlargement of the European Union and occasional
problems with external suppliers prompted new measures regarding the
security of supply, while a growing body of legislation is also present
in the field of environmental protection. The three objectives of the EU
energy policy are not always complementary, and some tension and even
confliction between them can’t be excluded. Although the European
Union and its institutions attempt to embrace all three pillars under the
sustainability umbrella, this hasn’t brought a desirable outcome yet. We
are witnessing the big comeback of energy security in 2022, including
the adoption of some measures by the Member States that are not in line
with decarbonization efforts, at least in short term. | sr |